Food Review: Publico Ristorante at InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay | Italian Restaurant along Singapore River introduces Capri Sunday Brunch

Posted on April 14, 2018 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place Located at the swanky InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay which opened late last year, Publico Ristorante is an Italian restaurant managed by the IHG hotel which serves dinner service and most recently, Sunday Brunch. I first visited Publico for dinner few weeks ago, followed by my recent Sunday brunch and suffice to say for me, the ambience on both day and night is lovely in its own ways. You can’t miss the huge outdoor dining space, beautifully surrounded by lush greenery to block out the noise from the road.

The indoor space is casual chic, where the table arrangements are ideal for big or small group dining. The open kitchen concept is the centrepiece, where my attention was drawn to the wood fire grill where the pizzas are made.

The Food The Sunday Brunch is the latest addition to the dining service at Publico, where the restaurant has also rolled out lunch service on Fridays and Saturdays recently as well. We started with a lovely glass of Sbagliato, a cocktail of homemade vermouth, campari and prosecco; along with some complimentary freshly baked bread sprinkled with sea salt.

The bread is so amazing that I need to remind myself to stop stuffing it into my mouth else I have no space for other dishes.

The brunch menu consolidates highlights from the ala carte menu, along with brunch exclusive items. Some brunch staples to start which I enjoyed are the Slow-cooked Eggs with Sourdough Bread (S$16) and the Avocado on Toast (S$21), classic brunch dishes with an Italian twist. The former has parma ham and cheese, while the latter has burrata cheese, chilli bruschetta and generous spread of spicy avocado.

I enjoyed the avocado toast more personally, simply because I like the creamy and rich flavour of the avocado spread. That said, I agree with my dining partner that the toast and bread here are on point, freshly baked and served.

For pasta, I had the Fregola Sarda (S$26), a wholesome plate packed with prawns, lemon zest, cherry tomatoes, garlic cream and broccoli. I thought that it would be a heavy dish, but this pasta tastes relatively light. The lemon zest brings that refreshing bit to balance the flavours of the rich garlic cream.

If you can only try one pizza, I highly recommend the Tartufata (S$24), one of the most popular flavours on the menu. You need to enjoy mushrooms, cheese and truffle here, as this is packed with mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, smoked scamorza and truffle oil. I like how the cheese is melted to the right degree, soaked with a tinge of truffle oil and completed with the mushroom flavours.

For desserts, you can go simple by simply having their Gelato Trio (S$8), or try the Bombolini (S$14). I don’t have a very sweet tooth, which is why I enjoyed the gelato, and I highly recommend the awesome pistachio flavour.

The Bombolini is essentially Italian fried doughnut, served along with a lemon curd dip, and a scoop of vanilla bean gelato.

Rants The outdoor space is beautiful and is one of the traits which sets Publico apart from other restaurants, though I can’t bring myself to sweat it out during brunch hours. Stick to the comfy indoor dining instead.

Will I Return Again? The food at Publico is straightforward and delicious. I enjoyed the dining ambience and while the location is not that convenient to get to by train, it is definitely worth checking out.